Montreal

Montreal => (French: Montréal) is the cultural capital of Quebec and the main entry point to the province. Once the largest city in Canada, recent years have seen it cede that distinction to Toronto. It remains a city rich in culture and history, has an inordinate number of attractive, fashionably dressed people, and a well-deserved reputation as one of the liveliest cities in North America.

Montreal is the second-largest Francophone metro area in the world, after Paris.

Understand

Situated on an island in the St. Lawrence River just at its highest navigable point, Montreal has been a strategic location since before the arrival of Europeans in Canada. A thriving First Nations Mohawk community called Hochelaga was on the site of present-day Montreal when explorer Jacques Cartier first visited in 1535. A hundred years later, in 1642, the tiny town of Ville-Marie was founded as a Jesuit mission, but soon became a center of the fur trade. After its capture by the English in 1762, Montreal remained the most important city in Francophone Canada, and was briefly capital of the province in the 1840s.

Prohibition on sales of alcohol in the United States during the 1920s and '30s made Montreal a mecca for cross-border fun seekers from nearby New England and New York. The city built up a seedy yet playful industry in alcohol, burlesque, and other vices. In the 1960s, an urban renewal drive centered around Expo 67. The World's Fair in Montreal brought a subway system and a number of attractive urban parks, and is considered to be one of the most successful World Fairs. The 1976 Olympics left a strikingly idiosyncratic stadium and many other urban improvements.

The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, though much lauded as an economic boon, spelled the beginning of the end for Montreal's economic dominance in Canada. Once the transition point between western railroads and eastern sea carriers, Montreal watched helplessly as some of this business moved farther west, up the now navigable Seaway, to ports in Ontario and on Lake Superior. The Quebec sovereignty movement, which began to pick up steam in the 1960s, further chilled the atmosphere for Canada-wide businesses, many of which moved their headquarters to Toronto.

After an economic depression in the 1980s and 1990s — due to automotive and aerospace plant closures in the surrounding area — Montreal today has become more secure in its place in North America and the world. It remains a center of culture, arts, computer technology, the biotech industry and media for all of Canada and for the French-speaking world.

Get in

By plane

Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport (airport code: YUL), formerly Dorval Airport, is about half an hour west of the city center on highway 20. Taxi fare to and from downtown is a fixed price of $35 (a sticker on the window behind the driver gives the boundaries of the zone where the flat fare applies; for origins and destinations outside this zone, you will have to pay a metered fare). The Aérobus is a shuttle running from Dorval to a station at 777 de la Gauchetière West about once every half hour from 7AM to 1AM. Tickets are $13. Alternatively, public bus no. 204 leaves every half hour to Gare Dorval (Dorval train station), where bus no. 211/221 can be caught to the metro (subway). This costs only $2.50 but exact change must be provided and the trip is about 20 minutes.

Montreal has a second airport, Mirabel, about an hour north of the city center. It has been exclusively a cargo terminal since October, 2004.

By car

From Toronto, take Highway 401 east for about 6 hours until it becomes Autoroute 20 on the Quebec side of the border. Highway 20 takes about an hour to get to downtown. Be alert for frequent speed-limit changes along this road. To reach downtown follow the Centre-Ville signs and take Highway 720 (Highway 20 continues over the Pont Champlain bridge to the South Shore).

From Ottawa, it's about 2 hours east along Highway 417 (which becomes the 40 in Quebec) to Montreal.

From Quebec City, it's about 2.5-3.5 hours west on either Highway 40 or 20.

From New York City, take Interstate Freeway 87 north through Albany and the eastern half of New York State for about six hours. After the border crossing near Plattsburgh, the freeway becomes Highway 15, which leads directly into downtown Montreal over the Pont Champlain — the most beautiful approach to the city.

From Boston, take Interstate Highway 93 to Highway 89 in Concord, New Hampshire, through Vermont to the border crossing near Burlington, where it turns into Highway 133 which intersects Highway 10, which taken west leads directly into downtown Montreal. The whole trip takes about 6-7 hours.

By train

Montreal Central Station is at 895 rue De La Gauchetière Ouest, one block west of rue University.

VIA Rail Canada operates trains from several Canadian cities into Montreal. From Toronto, trains leave daily for the five-hour trip to Montreal about every 2 hours from 7AM to midnight, with adult economy round-trip fare running about $160. The train's first class car is equipped with WiFi service for those computer nuts wanting to stay in touch. There's also a regular train from Quebec City, leaving four times a day, taking about three hours. Other trains run to and from the Maritimes and various destinations in the Gaspé Peninsula.

Amtrak's Adirondack service from New York's Penn Station takes about 10 hours, leaving at 9:45AM and arriving after 7PM. The train passes through much of upstate New York and hugs Lake Champlain for a large part of the trip.

Amtrak also offers a Thruway Motor Coach connection from Montreal to St-Albans, Vermont, where the "Vermonter" service begins and runs through Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, to Washington DC. The full trip from Montreal to Washington is about 14 hours. Fares are competitive with Greyhound. Departs once daily, see schedule.

By bus

Get around

Montreal is divided east-west by boulevard Saint-Laurent. Numbered addresses start there and increase in either direction; most addresses are given as "rue Saint-Quelqu'un Ouest" (west) or "rue Saint-Quelqu'un Est" (east). Many streets are named after Catholic saints and figures from local history, both well-known and obscure.

On foot

Walking is a favored way to get around the densely-packed downtown and the narrow streets of the Old Port, especially during the warmer months. Sidewalks are icy and hazardous during the winter except on a few major streets. Jaywalking is the rule and laws against it are not enforced, but be aware that drivers will usually not stop or slow down if a pedestrian steps out in front of them. Prince Arthur Street east of St. Laurent is pedestrian-only. A good trick for navigating downtown Montreal is to remember that streets will slope up towards the North.

By car

Driving (SAAQ) in Montreal can be a bit of a hassle. All road signs are in French. The severe winters take their toll on the roadways, which are either heavily potholed or subject to perpetual construction. Downtown traffic is dense, and street parking is rare and subject to byzantine restrictions and regulations (tourists are well-advised to consult with a local on whether a particular spot is legal). Many downtown streets are one-way, which can complicate navigation. If you see a sign at an intersection that has direction arrows in a green circle, that means those are the only directions you are allowed to go; most left turns are prohibited. Freeways can also be difficult for visitors, as signage can be somewhat cryptic or ill-placed and on-ramps are sometimes much shorter than elsewhere in North America. Also, there is no right turn on red lights on the island of Montreal.

By bike

Cycling and in-line skating ('rollerblading') are very popular once the cold winter weather is over. The city is criss-crossed by 660km of well-maintained cycle paths, including some which cross the St. Lawrence onto the island, such as over the Jacques Cartier bridge. Outside of these paths the potholes and generally rather manic driving style do not encourage the self-powered visitor. If one is comfortable driving in Montreal, one generally can feel comfortable biking there as well. While wearing a helmet is not required under the law, it is highly recommended. Skate and bike hire shops are common, particularly in the Old Port and the Plateau. Visit La Masion des Cyclistes (the cyclists's house) at 1251 rue Rachel Est for all info on cycling in Montreal. (See Do for specific bike paths)

By metro or bus

The public transit system, run by Société de transport de Montréal (STM), is safe, efficient and pleasant to use. Tickets valid for one uninterrupted trip on the metro and buses are $2.50 each and available for about 25% discount in strips (lisières) of six. Tourist passes offer unlimited travel on the bus and metro for periods of one day or three days. They are available from most downtown metro stations during the summer, but only at Berri-UQAM and Bonaventure stations on the off-season. Transit passes are also available for periods of a week (CAM hebdo) or a month (CAM mensuelle).

The STM website offers a trip-planner service called Tous azimuts.

For instructions on how to use the metro, see Metro FAQ at metrodemontreal.com.

For a map of the metro, see Montreal Metro at Wikipedia.

By train

Montreal also has a commuter train system run by Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), and many find the ticketing system rather confusing. Commuter train stations are divided among various zones based on their distance from downtown. Stations have automated machines from which you must purchase a ticket appropriate to the zones of the station you are travelling to or from, whichever is farther (e.g. a trip from Zone 3 to Zone 1 or vice versa would require a Zone 3 ticket.)

Trips in zones 1 and 2 can be reduced in price if you have an STM transfer from the city bus or metro. You must then purchase the tarif combiné ticket at a lower cost. In general, reduced fares (for students and seniors) require ID that is not available to travellers.

There are no ticket machines on the train. A security agent sweeps the train on occasion looking for infractions. If the incorrect zone is typed in, the customer can get a fine of up to $400. In some cases, incorrect tickets will go unnoticed because the security agents pass through only occasionally. In most cases the fine is $100. Instructions for paying are clearly displayed in French only. To further confuse things, payment procedures are often changed or updated.

See

Do

Bike

An interactive map of the cycle path network is available at the Vélo Québec (Bike Quebec) website. Particularly pleasant places to cycle and skate include:

Parks

Festivals

Montreal has a bewildering variety of festivals, ranging from one-day ethnic fairs to huge international productions running two weeks or more. They are generally held in the summer and autumn, though increasingly they can be found throughout the year. Here are some of the larger ones:

Sports to watch

Learn

Montreal has the continent's largest proportion of students, due mainly to its four urban universities. Montreal is home to one of Canada's oldest and most prestigious universities, McGill, which many people refer to as "Canada's Harvard" (to the point that joke T-shirts have started to appear, branding Harvard as "America's McGill"). Concordia University is the city's other English-language university and has over 30,000 students. Its student population is generally more multicultural than McGill's, and the school's origins in and continuing emphasis on adult education make it popular for mature students, since it still holds many graduate-level courses at night. The Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM) and the Université de Montréal cater mainly to Francophone students. The Université de Montréal is the second largest French-language university in the world, after the Sorbonne in Paris, and is one of the largest research institutions in Canada.

Work

Illegal factory work paying around $7.50 per hour is fairly easy to find in Montreal, but painting during the summer and moving furniture in June can be better alternatives. McGill and Montreal universities are always in search of research subjects, and so are Montreal's many biotech firms.

Buy

Although Montreal's economy has been booming in recent years, the city remains remarkably affordable compared to other major cities in Canada and the United States. There's shopping for every taste and budget here.

General

Rue Ste-Catherine, between rue Guy and boulevard St-Laurent, has most of the big department and chain stores as well as a few major malls. Avenue Mont-Royal has funky consignment and gothic clothing stores from boulevard St-Laurent to rue St-Denis, and a mixed bag of neighborhood stores, used record shops, and gentrified boutiques heading east towards avenue Papineau. Rue St-Viateur is one of the city's most interesting streets, with its amazingly varied range of businesses crammed into the short stretch between St-Laurent and avenue du Parc. Boul. St-Laurent remains one of the city's prime shopping streets, more or less along its whole length. Just about anything can be found there, with different blocks having different clusters of businesses (Asian groceries and housewares near de La Gauchetière, cheap electronics a little farther up, hip boutiques between Prince-Arthur and des Pins, anything and everything Italian between St-Zotique and Jean-Talon, etc.). Rue Sherbrooke, west of the Autoroute Decarie, boasts an increasingly interesting concentration of largely food-oriented businesses.

Luxury

Trendier boutiques can be found on rue Saint-Denis, north of rue Sherbrooke and south of avenue Mont-Royal. Rue Sherbrooke itself has a number of high-end stores (notably Holt Renfrew) and commercial art galleries in a tony strip running approximately from McGill University west to rue Guy. Farther west, Sherbrooke intersects with Greene Ave. in Westmount, which boasts a short but luxurious retail strip. Rue Laurier, between St-Laurent and its western end, is one of the city's prime spots for eating and shopping in high style, though there are still a few affordable spots here and there.

Furniture and antiques

On boul. St-Laurent, a cluster of high-end home furnishing stores has grown up in recent years. It starts roughly at the corner of rue Marie-Anne and is very prominent in the block between Marie-Anne and avenue Mont-Royal, with sparser but still interesting stores as far north as rue St-Viateur. Antique buffs will find interesting stores all over the city, but they'll want to make a special pilgrimage to rue Notre-Dame, heading east from avenue Atwater. Rue Amherst, in the Gay Village, also has a significant concentration of antique dealers.

Eat

Montreal has a huge variety of food options, from diners and fast food to low-cost ethnic restaurants to haute cuisine. The large local Jewish population has contributed local specialties including huge smoked meat sandwiches (beef brisket) and small, crusty bagels, of which the sesame variety is the most popular, poppy a distant second and all others decidedly marginal (worth remembering — Montreal bagels are best when very fresh). Other specialties are "all-dressed" pizza (pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers), pizza and spaghetti with smoked meat, and Quebecois favorites like split pea soup.

No visit to Montreal is complete without at least one plate of 'poutine' (possibly from a French word meaning "mess"). This unique dish is a plate of French fries drowned in gravy and topped with chewy curds of white cheddar. There are variations on the theme — adding chicken, beef, vegetables or sausage, or replacing the gravy with tomato sauce (poutine italienne). Every Montrealer has their favorite poutine restaurant where you can get "the real stuff."

Many Montreal restaurants allow you to bring your own wine (you'll see an 'apportez votre vin' sign in the window). This may sound like a hassle, but you end up paying much less for wine with dinner if you bring it yourself. Note that if you can bring it yourself, you can't buy it there; conversely, if the restaurant is licensed to sell wine, you can't bring your own. There's usually a SAQ (government liquor store) or a dépanneur (convenience store, with a limited selection of typically inexpensive wine) nearby; ask your waiter. Your waiter will open your wine for you; corkage fees are rare, but don't forget to factor this service into your tip. In some cases, you may be able to bring beer instead of wine, but check first — it's not a given.

To buy your own food or regional products, the Jean-Talon public market, 7075 avenue Casgrain (metro Jean-Talon or De Castelnau), is the place to go. Open daily from 8 AM to 6 PM. The Jean-Talon market is especially noteworthy for its selection of produce; though not strictly part of the market, the many stores lining it on the north and south sides complete it wonderfully with superb selections of cheese, meat and just about anything edible. In particular, a store specializing in Quebec products ('Produits du terroir'), Le Marché des Saveurs, is located near the southeast corner of the market. On the north side, Fromagerie Hamel has a terrific selection of cheeses. The surrounding streets are heavily Italian-flavored and feature a number of excellent grocery stores, butchers, bakeries and restaurants. Across town, the Atwater Market is also superb, though quite different from (and much smaller than) Jean-Talon. Here, you'll find the city's best butchers, as well as good selections of cheese, fish and produce. Located on avenue Atwater, just south of rue Notre-Dame (metro Lionel-Groulx).

Restaurants lie thick on the ground in Montreal. Here is a very small sampling:

Separate bills are common, and you may be asked ensemble ou séparément? (together or separately?) The standard tip for acceptable restaurant service is 15%, and is not included. The calculation is done for you, though, since sales taxes are 15% and will be shown on your check.

Never call a waiter "garçon"! Use "monsieur" or "madame".

Drink

Quality wine and liquor can only be purchased at SAQ shops, most of which are open until 6pm Sunday - Wednesday and 8 or 9pm on weekends; the smaller SAQ Express outlets are open daily from 11am to 10pm, but selection is restricted to the SAQ's most popular items. Beer, and a small selection of lower-quality so-called "dep wine" (not what you'd usually bring to a dinner party, but sometimes drinkable — it's plonk that has been imported in bulk and bottled and sometimes blended in Quebec) can be purchased at corner stores and supermarkets. All retail alcohol sales stop at 11pm and bars and clubs stop serving at 3am.

Montrealers are largely unaware of how blessed they are by the selection of beer to be found in the humble corner store. Two local breweries in particular are world-class: McAuslan (brands include St-Ambroise and Griffon) and Unibroue (Belgian-style ales such as Maudite, La Fin du Monde, etc.; the U and U2 lagers are rather ordinary). Boréale also makes a good if unspectacular range of brews. Other micros and imports jostle for shelf space with the mass-market stuff; visitors with the time and inclination would do well to sample and to shop around a little, as selection will vary from store to store. The SAQ does not carry domestic beer, and generally has few imports that can't be found elsewhere. Again, selection varies by outlet, so it can pay to shop around, but in general the SAQ is simply not the place to buy beer.

Note - The SAQ Stores Are Divided Into Catagories.

Some types of Alcohol will only be available in certain stores.

Bars

Montreal has three main strips for bar-hopping. rue Crescent, just west of downtown, caters mostly to Anglophones and tourists. It tends to be trendy and expensive. boulevard Saint-Laurent, especially between rue Sherbrooke and avenue des Pins, has trendy clubs and bars with more of a Francophone clientele. Farther up St-Laurent it's relatively downscale and linguistically mixed. rue St-Denis between Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve is the strip with the strongest Francophone feel. There are also many good bars away from the main strips — you should never have to line up to go have a drink, because there's virtually unlimited choice.

Dance Clubs

Dance clubs are often found all over the downtown area, hotspots being on st. laurent and crescent streets. Last call is 3 am for serving alcohol.

After Hours Clubs: 2am-10am, no alcohol

Gay and lesbian

Montreal is an extremely inviting destination for gay and lesbian tourists, and it is arguably the most gay-friendly city in North America. Canada's contributions to gay rights have recently become widely known, but Quebec was the first province in Canada to pass a non-discrimination law for sexual orientation and to provide same-sex civil unions. Same-sex marriage is legal in Quebec (neither residency nor citizenship are required for a marriage licence, but there is a three-week waiting period after you receive the licence). Canadian and Quebec immigration law allow residents to sponsor their same-sex partners or spouses.

Montreal itself is a very safe, open, and inviting city. It has the largest gay village in North America (rue Sainte-Catherine from rue Saint-Hubert to av. Papineau - metro Beaudry, whose entrance is marked with rainbow pillars). Montreal's pride celebration, Divers-Cité (last week of July, first week of August) is the second-largest in North America after Toronto's.

Montreal has as many gay and lesbian bars as San Francisco, and every October on Canadian Thanksgiving (Columbus Day in the U.S.) hosts the Black and Blue circuit party, attracting thousands to enjoy the thrill of harder dance music and hordes of pretty, shirtless men.

Trendy gay establishments include Unity (Ste-Catherine and Montcalm), Sky (Sainte-Catherine and Alexandre-de-Sève), and Parking (Ste-Catherine and Amherst), all in the Village. Le Drugstore (1366 Ste-Catherine)is more casual and attracts a large lesbian clientele for happy hour on Fridays.

Bars catering to a male leather clientele include Stud (Sainte-Catherine and Papineau - not exclusively leather) and Aigle Noir (Sainte-Catherine and Panet).

Cabaret Mado (Sainte-Catherine and Wolfe) is a drag show with outrageous spectacles every night, run by the city's chief drag queen, Mado Lamotte.

Outside the Village, gay bars include Agora (René-Lévesque and Mackay, metro Lucien-L'Allier) and Mystique (Stanley between Sainte-Catherine and De Maisonneuve, metro Peel), both quiet, friendly neighbourhood bars in the west end of downtown.

To find out everything about what's going on, pick up a copy of Fugues, the free monthly gay magazine with a complete listing of what's on where. You can get it at Priape, the gay sex shop and unofficial information clearinghouse in the Village on Sainte-Catherine between de la Visitation and Panet. Fugues is in French; if you don't read French, ask the staff at Priape for help.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Contact

Photocopy shops often have internet terminals available, as do many cafés and some bookstores. The Bell phone company has installed public internet terminals (cash or credit cards) in McGill and Berri-UQAM metro stations; there is also a long-standing internet café (minus the café part) at mezzanine level in the rue Guy entrance of Guy-Concordia metro. The Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal (corner of Berri and de Maisonneuve — direct access via Berri-UQAM metro stations) has many internet terminals; a library card (free to Quebec residents with proof of address) is required, but visitors can get free temporary access by asking a librarian.

Internet Coffee shops are becoming more and more popular in Montreal. The organization Île Sans Fil provides free wireless Internet in cafes and other locations throughout the city. If you are on the South Shore of Montreal and are equipped with a laptop, Zeeba Booksoffers free wireless Internet. There are also two Internet stations available, not to mention cheap paperbacks and great cappuccino. Check the website for directions. Mention that you are from out of town and the owner will probably offer a free coffee.

Stay safe

Although Montreal is Canada's second largest city and has some problems with crime, it shares Canada's low crime rates; therefore, problems are unlikely. A traveller's usual common sense will suffice.

For emergencies call 9-1-1.

Muggers and pickpockets

If muggings or pickpocketing were to occur, the metro system would be their most likely location. If this concerns you, police would advise you to use the first metro car where the driver is. Emergency intercoms are on every metro car. Emergency phone booths are on every platform throughout the metro system. Pickpockets have been known to stand in line at fast food restaurants and other crowded locations.

The homeless

Although Montreal has seen homelessness decrease greatly in tandem with the city's economic renewal, the homeless remain a visible presence on the streets of the city. Most of those you may see begging are harmless. They sleep downtown with their hand open, or quietly ask for change and politely accept donations or take "no" for an answer. The top of metro station escalators downtown are a favoured local for these individuals. In some rare cases they may walk with you, talking friendly, and eventually ask for change. If they are pushy or obviously intoxicated, say no firmly; they will then leave you alone.

Strip clubs and prostitution

Montreal is know as the strip(or genltleman's) club capital of Canada. The city has over 30 strip clubs in the downtown area alone. The strip clubs in Montreal are unique in that the majority of them offer full contact lap dances. Full-contact lap dances are legal in the province of Quebec as of 2001. During full-contact lap dances, patrons are allowed to touch the dancers as long as the dances are private. Strip clubs in Montreal are either categorized as full-contact or non-contact.

The strip clubs in Montreal operated differently than U.S. strip clubs. In Montreal the exotic dancers are mostly independent workers, not house dancers. Due to this, the exotic dancers are free to work at a variety of strip clubs, and often do. Unlike U.S. exotic dancers, those working in Montreal retain all of the revenues from their performances; gratuity is not expected.

Rue Sainte-Catherine, Montreal's main shopping artery, has strip clubs advertised in plain-view through the length of downtown. Completely nude (not hardcore) posters or huge billboards and neon signs are visible from the sidewalks. This may be a concern for you if you have young children.

Street prostitution is visible in evenings in the area around the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Saint-Laurent and north of the gay village.

Driving

Quebec is renowned for its aggressive drivers. Drivers are quite assertive on the highway. Lane changes often occur without signalling. The slow lanes will be very slow and the fast lanes are not for the faint of heart or light of foot. Accelerating and decelerating can occur rapidly so prudence should be used. Pedestrians are equally assertive when crossing the street, especially downtown. They generally expect oncoming drivers to slow down, and are usually disappointed. Oddly enough, according to the Canadian Automobile Association, rates of traffic accidents are not overly high in Montreal. On the entire island of Montreal, right on red is illegal.

This text of this article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It has been slightly modified to fit the general design of this website. The authors of this document are Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, Beth Dunning, Chris Lemay, Evan Prodromou, Kate M., Lawrence Lavigne, S Chen, Thomas Harper, Wikitravel user Click, Wikitravel user Gdm, Wikitravel user Telso, patrick.delage@gmail.com and the following WikiTravel users: Abstraktn, Ahoerstemeier, Bletch, Buddy1111, Chris_j_wood, Cjensen, Dawnview, Elgaard, Grstain, InterLangBot, Jpatokal, Maj, Mnd, Nzpcmad, Ravi, Valmi. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Montreal.